Giving it a shot
The farmer simply said, “I’m going to be planting this weekend. I’ve got to give it a try.” Then he shook his head. Everyone understood. They know it’s late — ground is still soft and mushy in places, and it’s past what has commonly been known as deadline for planting has passed — but that irresistible force draws them to the tractor, to the field and to their calling.
“It’s something bred into them, even when they know they can’t make it profitable, they just have to plant,” said one close observer.
There may be more truth than fiction to that statement. Despite the odds, the farming community drew energy from the warm sun on their backs last weekend and went out into the field to plant the acres they could reach — first with corn, then with soybeans.
“I was planting and near dusk I decided to make one more pass around the field and sure enough, I sank into the mud — stuck,” said another farmer.
One of the hazards connected to planting is the fact, “The ground can look dry, and you may go along for awhile and suddenly, it gets soft and you sink.” Another added, “There are even spots that are still frozen underneath.”
That’s what faced farmers as they ventured into the fields, hoping to take one final shot at getting their fields planted ... one final hope against hope they could produce a crop, like they always do. A quick drive across Lyon County found tiny shoots of corn protruding from the ground, as if saying, “We survived ... and so can you.”
Many farmers surveyed indicated they got most of their crops in. Some avoided low spots, others simply planted what they could and abandoned the rest for this year. “Stuck!? Yes, there have been LOTS of people getting stuck ... story after story,” related another farmer.
Almost every farmer said he knew the yield would be down — at the very best. Some knew there would be no yield at all.
“But the seed has been purchased, fertilizer spread and it didn’t make much sense to let it just sit there without taking a shot at it,” related another farmer.
Now, most of the choices have been made. Some stayed the course and will take some income for NOT planting.
Others rolled the dice, used the best gauge they had available and put the seed into the ground. There will still be some activity this week ... especially with some beans yet to plant. But for the most part, the dye is cast, the planting has been done. Now it’s up to Mother Nature and her forces.
“Harvest is still a long ways off, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” said another farmer.
That may prove to be the hard part — waiting!
But like planting, for many, there just plain was no other choice! Guess what? It rained again on Monday night and a couple of times on Tuesday. Uffdah!!!!!